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Alabama's Nick Saban, Phil Savage air grievances, concern with record number of underclassmen entering NFL Draft

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The South team practices for the Reese's Senior Bowl on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. Alabama head coach Nick Saban draws a crowd of news media. (Mike Kittrell/mkittrell@al.com)

MOBILE, Alabama -- Nick Saban would have preferred his program not to be such a big contributor to this particular record.

For the second consecutive year, a record number of underclassmen declared for the NFL Draft. This year's total of 98 just so happened to blow last year's 73 out of the water.

Alabama contributed three early entries -- one of whom graduated -- into last year's total. With safety Vinnie Sunseri's surprising decision to enter the Draft, Alabama accounted for a Saban-era record five in this year's class.

Saban offered his support for all five -- some, perhaps, more than others -- but didn't hold back when he was asked to share his opinion on the trend as a whole.

"I don't think the NFL really wants this, I don't really think the
colleges want this," Saban said. "I don't think it's in the best interest of the
players and I don't know what the solution to the problem really is."

Saban's philosophy for early entries is straightforward with a handful of minor exceptions.

If a player is anticipated to be selected in the first round, he should probably choose the NFL because it's financially lucrative. There are exceptions for a player such as running back Eddie Lacy, who was ultimately a second-round pick after leaving one year early, because of the position he plays. Also, a player such as linebacker Adrian Hubbard, who spent four years in the program and graduated, appeared to receive Saban's blessing despite his projection as a second-to-fourth round pick.

Under Saban, 10 of Alabama's 12 underclassmen to enter the NFL Draft have been selected in the first round. Lacy and running back Glen Coffee (third round) were the only exceptions.

That number is more than likely to double after this year's draft, as Hubbard, Sunseri and defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan are all anticipated to be second- or third-day selections. With a fifth-round projection, Sunseri could potentially go undrafted.

Last year, 21 of the 73 underclassmen went undrafted.

"For the good of the game, both at the college level and the NFL level,
it's going to have to be addressed one way or the other," Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage said. "When you see
almost 100 underclassmen come into the draft, there's 250 some-odd
slots, there's going to be a lot of kids that have been sold a bill of
goods."

The mindset, Savage said, stems from the NFL's latest collective bargaining agreement, which significantly limited how much teams can pay players in their first contract. The goal is to get in the system as soon as possible and shorten the wait (four years) for a second, more lucrative contract, Savage said.

But there's a catch, said Savage, a former NFL general manager.

"With a career span of a little over three years but not quite four, it
tells you that most of the players do not get to that second contract
and that's what they're kind of being encouraged," Savage said. "What happens is (teams with) players that are in the league for three-plus years go, 'You know what, we can go find somebody cheaper that's coming out as a rookie that
can cover kicks.'

"I think the talent, the size and the speed is better than it's ever
been, but the actual technique and understanding of the game is probably
worse."

Saban called it the "basketball mentality." It has crept into football and inspired so many players to enter college with an NFL-or-bust mindset, he said.

"The culture is changing and I think it starts with guys when they're in
high school," Saban said. "They get a lot of attention, they get rated, they get a lot
of expectations put on them.

"I think that the natural order of things is
for a guy to graduate from high school, to develop as a player in
college, to graduate and develop a career off the field in college and
in most cases that takes three-and-a-half or four years."

Mock drafts that appear to be top-heavy with underclassmen are deceiving, Saban and Savage said.

Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest projection includes six players who left at least one year of eligibility on the table in the top 10. The majority of players likely to be selected in the first three rounds, though, are seniors.

Last year, three of the top five picks were seniors. All of them participated in the Senior Bowl and saw their stock skyrocket in the following months.

"If you're not (projected to be drafted in the first round), we certainly feel that you should come
back to school, graduate from school, use your senior year to develop as
a player and try to enhance your draft status for the next year," Saban said. "That's
the advice we give to each and every one of our players.

"This year, we
had a couple of guys that probably don't fit that category, made the
decision to do it and we'll be very supportive of them."